Staff from ten utilities will travel to host facilities to learn about innovative treatment technologies and processes.

February 21, 2018 (Alexandria, VA) – The Water Research Foundation (WRF), the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) today announced the 2018 winners of the LIFT Scholarship Exchange Experience for Innovation & Technology (SEE IT). The program, now in its third year, is a joint initiative of the three organizations. The scholarships enable utility personnel to travel to other innovative utilities to learn about the technologies and processes they employ.

The 2018 scholarship winners include staff from:

Charlotte Water (NC)

City of Calgary (Alberta)

City of Tempe (AZ)

Eagle River Water and Sanitation District (CO)

Fairfax County (VA)

Fond du Lac (WI)

Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (WI)

Pima County (AZ)

Upper Occoquan Service Authority (VA)

Regional Municipality of York (Ontario)

Awardees were selected based on the technical or innovation merit of the site visit, importance to the utility, implementation potential, cost and value, and other criteria.

This year’s scholarship recipients will travel to both domestic and international destinations, where hosting facilities will share their experiences and expertise on innovative technologies and practices such as converting biosolids to energy, primary sludge fermentation for production of volatile fatty acids, digestion enhancements, granular sludge treatment, and more.

“SEE IT provided an opportunity to conduct site visits that were very helpful for our Bioenergy Recovery Project that otherwise were not feasible to conduct,” noted Erika Bailey of the City of Raleigh, one of last year’s SEE IT awardees.

LIFT SEE IT awardees are required to record and share their experiences with peer utilities and others through trip reports, presentations, photos, and videos that are posted to the SEE IT web page.

Interested in applying for a LIFT SEE IT scholarship? Applications for the 2019 program will be accepted starting in Fall 2018.

For more information about the LIFT SEE IT program, contact Fidan Karimova, Water Technology Collaboration Manager (fkarimova@waterrf.org, 571.384.2096).

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The Water Environment & Reuse Foundation (now The Water Research Foundation), a 501c3 non-profit organization, funds research, pilot projects, and technology demonstrations that maximize the value of water, including wastewater, stormwater, and other water sources. WE&RF is recognized worldwide as a trusted source of innovation and peer-reviewed research in wastewater, water reuse, and resource recovery. www.werf.org.

For more than forty years, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) has been the nation’s recognized leader in legislative, regulatory and legal advocacy on the full spectrum of clean water issues. NACWA represents public wastewater and stormwater agencies of all sizes nationwide, and is a top technical resource in water quality, water management and sustainable ecosystem protection.

The Water Environment Federation is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization of 33,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations representing water quality professionals around the world. Since 1928, WEF and its members have protected public health and the environment. As a global water sector leader, our mission is to connect water professionals; enrich the expertise of water professionals; increase the awareness of the impact and value of water; and provide a platform for water sector innovation. To learn more, visit www.wef.org.